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Dvorak and the bright, beautiful sunrise
It’s hugely important to feed the muse, no matter the creative endeavour. And from now on — at least for a little while — I’m dedicating Wednesdays on this blog to this purpose. Today’s inspiration...
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The beachfront beckons
Melbourne on a Spring evening, viewed from Elwood. Here in Melbourne, Australia, Spring is well underway after a miserable, wet Winter. As the days lengthen and the evenings grow warmer, the temptation...
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You can never have too many notebooks
Like many writers, I suspect, I have a notebook addiction. (The kind you write in with a pen.) These days there are so many gorgeous ones available — even in common, mass-market, office supply stores....
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You can never have too much chocolate
It seems for the month of November, I will be fixated on inspirational aids/props to get me through NaNoWriMo… Last week it was notebooks. This week it’s chocolate. All this can be found in my house...
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Enjoying Of Monsters and Men
This is not what I thought I was going to be citing as my inspiration of the week, but by chance last night I downloaded (legally) the album ‘My Head is an Animal’ from the Icelandic band, Of Monsters...
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NaNoWriMo sanity check
This is just going to be a quick update of where I’m at with stuff (aka NaNoWriMo sanity check). The most excellent news is that I’m still on schedule to complete the 50K in 30 days and sailed past 35K...
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Imagine wide, dream big
I like to surround myself with reminders of why I’m here, what I’m doing, and give myself the occasional pep talk while I’m at it. It’s so easy to let life get in the way of dreams, so easy to get all...
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The clatter-scramble of puppy feet
All is quiet, calm. And then the clatter-scramble of little puppy feet comes as Buddy tears across the living room floor in chase of a ball, or a rag-toy. The sound makes me smile. Puppies are well...
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The box I don’t want to get rid of
It’s amazing the things you come across when sorting through your junk pile, er, study. This box was presented to me last year for my birthday. Inside was my real present, but the outside was so...
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Winter Solstice ~ Songs around a bonfire
I make it a habit each year to celebrate the summer and winter solstices if I can. No doubt it’s the influence of all the fantasy I’ve read over the years — a corner of my soul shows signs of being...
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Your stories matter
There are many days as a writer when all I do is question myself. Is this novel any good? Do I have any talent at all? Should I just give up the whole writing thing as a bad idea? Who would actually...
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Quotes for writers who are stuck
I’ve been working on a novel for a while now. I’m getting very close to the end of the first draft, but the closer I get to the end, the harder it gets. Something’s not gelling. I know the ending —...
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World Fantasy Convention 2013 – a wrapup
So, last weekend was the World Fantasy Convention in Brighton, UK. My second, following the San Diego WFC in 2011. Once again, I had an excellent time, my activities largely divided between the...
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REFLECTION three ways
This week’s photo challenge theme is REFLECTION. Phillip Island swamp Sometimes I need to get away from the world in order to give myself the time and space to REFLECT and focus on writing. It may be...
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Inspiration in silver
I didn’t realise until the past couple of weeks just how much I like silver. I’ve had some tucked away inside a display cabinet for about 10 years. Mostly silver plate, it came from my grandmother’s...
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Harnessing creativity at Canberra Writers Day
On Saturday I attended the inaugural Canberra Writers Day — a day of short talks and workshops on various aspects of writing. Organised by the Conflux team, headed up by Australian SF author Nicole...
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A-Z of fantasy: J is for Journey
One of the things I’ve always loved about fantasy is the JOURNEY. Journey: an act of travelling from one place to another. This can be literal — epic fantasy is full of tremendous and inspiring...
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A few convention highlights – Continuum X
I spent the past long weekend at Continuum X — this year’s Australian national speculative fiction convention, where fans and writers and authors gather together to chat about science fiction, fantasy,...
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Sunday journal ~ Infinite possibilities (Oh, my!)
Inspired. Energised. A wee bit daunted. That’s how I feel right now. It’s been one of those weekends. A fabulous weekend — don’t mistake me. But my mind is now spinning like a wind wheel. Bright and...
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Sunday journal ~ time out at Phillip Island
Winter sun. Wind. Waves. Words. Beach near Watt Point, Phillip Island Phillip Island in winter is quiet, serene, beautiful. With the blessing of a clear weekend, I hightailed down to the island this...
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